Bridgetown (Barbados): If runs have dried up from Sachin Tendulkar's blade, it's because he is no longer watching the ball out of the bowler's hand, according to former Australia captain and World Cup winning coach Bob Simpson.
"He (Tendulkar) has fallen into what is probably the most common error in batting - not watching the ball out of the bowler's hand but watching for the ball in areas around it," Simpson has commented in his recent column.
"Tests have shown that you can pick the ball about a metre sooner if you watch it right out of the bowler's hand. This is a huge advantage to a batsman," adds Simpson.
But the respected former Australian opener has huge regard for Tendulkar's ability and his willingness to learn.
"Sachin was a dream to coach. Almost in my first session with him, I noticed he had fallen into the error of moving back to the leg stump instead of middle and leg to cover good length. I discussed with him the disadvantages of such a method and the advantages of what I was suggesting.
"We watched a video of him batting in the nets, which confirmed my thoughts and Sachin immediately began remedying it.
"For some years after this, even when I wasn't coaching India, whenever I ran into Sachin he would always ask if I had noticed anything wrong with his batting.
"If Sachin were to ask me that question today I would say, 'check the video and you will find that even with your defensive shots you are late getting into position'."
RE:Bob Simpson on GC !!
by C Kishen on Apr 18, 2008 11:50 AM Permalink
Simpson then lays into Chappell and terms him a failure both as captain and coach.
"Obviously Greg Chappell had problems with the attitude of some of the top players. I found his public declaration of his dissatisfaction over the attitude and commitment of his senior players most disappointing.
"His lack of success with the Indian cricket team has come as no surprise to the Australian cricket fraternity. He is admired greatly for his wonderful, graceful and successful batting and I feel he was one of the greatest slip fielders of all time, but his captaincy and coaching did not command the same respect," Simpson said.
"During his long tenure as captain of Queensland, they were considered the best team in Australia but didn't win a single Sheffield Shield title. In recent times, he had a long coaching stint with South Australia but with poor results.
"Chappell's somewhat autocratic manner was often blamed for his lack of success, as was his perceived lack of understanding that his charges didn't have his golden touch and class as a cricketer."
Simpson recalled his stint with the Indian team as a consultant in the late 1990s and said it was overall a pleasure and he advises them to stick to their own style of playing.
"I can only speak of the pleasures of coaching the senior Indian players, though there were some frustrations. Whether it was assisting Javagal Srinath to bowl a slower ball, Rahul Dravid to improve his slip fielding or Anil Kumble to hold his action longer
Ask the RCA boys privately and they will tell you that GC and frazer are just into gimmicks. Look take a raw untrained guy and results will show in 2 weeks anywhere. Thats the way novices learn. But once they get to an intermediate stage and the advanced stage, it requires people with real sports science back ground to take them to the next level. These two guys are amateur coaches and into gimmickry. Just making money from easy employment. Heck Australia does not hire them anywhere full time and only Indian fools will do it. And then these guys crap on us and leave with the money. Have we no self respect to curse our own players and side with these idiots?
i feel greg's no nonsense appraoch coupled with our star culture mad him fail but i strongly feel he is a man with a vision who will accomplsh the mission.. mark my words rajasthan will be ranji champs within two years.. it augurs well for indian cricket
This is a reprise of the early days of Chappell's India stint; thousands of impressive words and theories. Total cricket, multi-dimensionality, flexibility, neural stimulation... But the end result? Internal rancour and bitterness, a dud of a World Cup campaign, a coach who dumped on his own team. But so what if the theories failed and the words were empty, it was everyone's fault but that of Chappell and his theories.
Coaching is not G. Chappell's core skill, never was, which is why no one in Australia will touch him.
They won't say so openly (despite the professed Aussie tell-it-like-it-is candour) because like Gavaskar and Kapil Dev in India, Greg Chappell is a sacred cow in Australia.
Speaking is GC's best asset, so he should please spare coaching kids particularly impressionable Indians.
There must be 100s of herd mentality corporates who would pay good money for GC's brand of BS.
RE:words words words
by C Kishen on Apr 18, 2008 09:52 AM Permalink
You are absolutely correct. The boys who attended RCA hated the experience. Many dropped out and even puked because of over training. It is a boot camp with hardly any cricket. Frazer is not a bio mechanist and dont know why the media addresses him as a bio mechanist. He has a marketing background no sports science. They are just making money in India and we are fools. Australia does not give them a job thats why they are here. Greg is just a talker and not a coach.
I just adore and admire the thinking that Greg and Ian have, the vision they have and the way they go about it, i guess this type of thinking and strategy would have not worked with national team as this thinking is totally different from what we have heard or seen in indian sports, and if the team loses people and media will blame these new methods first, so its the right platform to impart such training, and i sincerely hope and wish that this training is successful in producing champion cricketers, because then this will be adopted at the highest level and duplicated widely, Kudos to Mr Modi and RCA for having the courage and vision to implement this program, i just hope that they continue with it for a considerable time to reap the rewards...
RE:Amazing Article
by C Kishen on Apr 18, 2008 10:05 AM Permalink
The article makes good reading but the ground realities are different. Thats why they did not succeed with team India. Greg is a guy who only speaks and does not listen. Frazer is a fraud and not a sports scientist or bio mechanist. He was a computer sales man.
First and foremost, thanks Prem for putting this together. Very insightful article. Personally I guess Greg means good, but he did not understand Indian culture to articulate his ideas when he was India team coach. I guess he has learnt a lot of things about India and their behavior patterns. This is an excellent article not only pertaining to cricket but for personal improvement.
RE:Awesome
by K K on Nov 17, 2007 10:24 PM Permalink
I think every MBA student should read this. I have read many management books and this ranks right alongside.
RE:Awesome
by C Kishen on Apr 18, 2008 10:07 AM Permalink
This is good only for MBA students and its nonsense. GC and frazer do not understand sports science. They are just running a circus. RCA is just a place for them to make money and lead a cushy life. In Australia no one will give them a job.
Few people give Greg the credit he deserves. If not for the dirty politics behind our Cricket Boards, Greg would have made a great National coach.He wanted to coach the team professionally.When was the last time an Indian coach quoted deBono?
Greg, if you're reading this - behind all the sore press and publicity and millions of pages of hate mail - you should know that some Indians appreciate you and your courage - Thank You Greg, for everything.
RE:Thank You Greg
by kevin dsouza on Nov 16, 2007 12:47 PM Permalink
Most of the professional people alwayz speak bitter. But there is alwayz a fact behind their bitter speech.
RE:Thank You Greg
by ashok kumar on Nov 21, 2007 12:27 PM Permalink
Don't be hypnotised, guys... wait for the results. GC's first six months anywhere are always impressive. This is cricket, results will speak. wait for them.
RE:Thank You Greg
by C Kishen on Apr 18, 2008 10:10 AM Permalink
Sameer, Any bullshit artist can quote Debono. The ground realities are different. GC and Frazer make impressive presentations. They have no clue of bio mechanics or sports science. They are not qualified. What the hell are you thanking him for? The RCA will be just another academy for coaches to make money.
RE:Thank You Greg
by on Nov 22, 2007 08:20 PM Permalink
excellant u have given body of word to my feelings ,as india w ehave many priority in sports and one of them is this type of input. india is blank canves un ending, so all type of new thinkingis welcome then only we can devlop and release our potential.keep it up lalit, greg and ian u r doing great,
